KidSpirit

What KidSpirit does

KidSpirit Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that publishes a global, youth-led online magazine for teenagers aged 11-18, founded in 2007 and headquartered at 77 State Street, Brooklyn, NY. Its core product is a quarterly themed online magazine in which teen writers and artists from around the world explore philosophical, ethical, and existential questions; the platform operates through a New York editorial board plus 20+ satellite editorial boards across the US (Texas, Kentucky, Maine) and 17+ countries including Australia, China, Ghana, India, Jordan, Liberia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine, UK, and Uruguay, with adult liaisons in each location. Beyond the magazine, the product portfolio includes ListenUp! The KidSpirit Podcast, KidSpirit Shorts (short video content), an annual Fiction department, The Best of KidSpirit print anthologies sold via MagCloud, an annual KidSpirit Awards program (peer-voted), and the KidSpirit Global Summit.

The technology stack is a web-based content management system for online magazine publication with podcast hosting; no proprietary AI, API, or SDK is offered. The platform is built around two distinct audiences: (1) teen contributors and readers, who participate free of charge through writing, art, and editorial governance; and (2) educators, families, and youth workers who consume content and purchase print anthologies as educational resources. Distribution occurs through the website, email newsletters (Content, Moment of Awe, PerSpectives), podcast platforms, HuffPost syndication in religion and teen sections, and a 2026 partnership with Zinc Learning Labs licensing teen-written articles into hundreds of US middle and high schools.

Revenue mechanics are those of a small nonprofit: donations and contributions from foundations, individuals, and corporate sponsors; recurring newsletter subscriptions; and unit-priced print anthology sales through MagCloud. No revenue figure is publicly disclosed. Recent operating milestones include UN consultative status through the Department of Global Communications and ECOSOC (2021), a Speech to the UN Committee on NGOs (2022), the RNA Magazine Overall Excellence award (2016), and three consecutive Religion Communicators Council Awards of Excellence (2024, 2025, 2026) for the print anthology series.

Name

KidSpirit

Legal name

KidSpirit, Inc.

Website

https://kidspiritonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KidSpirit is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a global, youth-led online magazine and community for teens ages 11-18, publishing quarterly themed issues on life's big questions through 20+ satellite editorial boards worldwide. Its portfolio includes a podcast, short videos, print anthologies, an annual awards program, and a global summit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Online Magazine

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJAFAL

Children’s Religious & Values-Based Publishing

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Children’s Publishing (Picture Books, Middle Grade, YA)

SECONDARYMPAJAFAE

Children’s Nonfiction Publishing

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Children’s Publishing (Picture Books, Middle Grade, YA)

SECONDARYEDAGALAK

Children’s & Youth Educational Entertainment (Edutainment)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Educational Media & Multimedia (Video, Audio, Interactive)

SECONDARYMPAJAFAI

Children’s Audio Publishing (Audiobooks & Podcasts)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Children’s Publishing (Picture Books, Middle Grade, YA)

Keywords

• Youth online magazine
• Teen editorial platform
• Interfaith youth media
• Nonprofit publishing
• Youth community platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices25 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, KidSpirit relies on donations from supporters including foundations, individuals, and corporate sponsors listed on their supporters page
2. Print Anthologies and Magazines: Sale of print compilation volumes including 'The Best of KidSpirit' series through MagCloud
3. Newsletter Subscriptions: Newsletter subscriptions including Content Newsletter, Moment of Awe, and PerSpectives newsletter offerings

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KidSpirit publishes a quarterly themed online magazine featuring teen-authored articles, poetry, artwork, and fiction that explore philosophical and ethical questions. Its offerings are extended through the ListenUp! podcast, KidSpirit Shorts video series, annual print anthologies sold via MagCloud, an awards program, and an annual Global Summit, all coordinated through a global network of youth-led satellite editorial boards.

Product overview

KidSpirit is a global coed online magazine and community for teens, founded in 2007, centered around a quarterly themed magazine where young writers and artists explore life's big questions. The product portfolio includes the core KidSpirit Online Magazine (with departments for features, poetry, fiction, artwork, media reviews, and Interfaith Connections), the ListenUp! Podcast (featuring conversations with contributors), KidSpirit Shorts (video content initiative), The Best of KidSpirit print anthologies (annual compilation volumes), the KidSpirit Awards (annual peer-voted recognition program), and the KidSpirit Global Summit (annual international youth event). The platform operates through worldwide Editorial Boards where teen editors collaborate on content creation and review submissions. All products work together to provide a comprehensive youth-led forum for creative expression, intergenerational dialogue through PerSpectives, and global community building around shared existential and ethical questions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KidSpirit Online Magazine A quarterly global coed online magazine and community for teens featuring themed issues on life's big questions. Includes articles, poetry, artwork, fiction, and media content created by young writers and artists from around the world.
• ListenUp! The KidSpirit Podcast A podcast companion to the magazine featuring conversations, readings, and discussions with KidSpirit youth contributors and adult contributors.
• KidSpirit Shorts Video content initiative featuring short films and video content created by or featuring KidSpirit youth contributors, showcasing global youth voices through visual storytelling.
• The Best of KidSpirit Print Anthologies Annual print compilation volumes featuring the most outstanding work published by KidSpirit. Each volume contains award-winning articles, poems, and artwork selected by representatives from communities worldwide. Available for purchase through MagCloud.
• KidSpirit Global Summit Annual international youth event featuring youth-led panels with guest speakers, award ceremonies, and networking opportunities for KidSpirit contributors from around the world.
• KidSpirit Editorial Boards Youth-led editorial boards operating in 20+ locations worldwide (including New York, Australia, China, Ghana, India, Jordan, Pakistan, South Korea, Spain, Ukraine, UK, Uruguay, and US states) where teen editors collaborate on magazine content, discuss themes, and review submissions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of surveyed editors agree that KidSpirit empowers teens to express their ideas and viewpoints
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Zinc Learning LabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership with Zinc Learning Labs, a digital literacy platform used in hundreds of middle and high schools throughout the U.S. and several schools abroad, providing teen-written articles to help students build crucial reading and comprehension skills.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Interfaith America (formerly Interfaith Youth Core): A nonprofit focused on interfaith cooperation and youth leadership development. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but operates in the same youth-and-values ecosystem as KidSpirit's Interfaith Connections column and UN-aligned mission.

Broad incumbents

• The New York Times for Kids: A kids' section of the NYT distributed in print and online, providing age-appropriate journalism and storytelling. Comparable as a youth periodical product and educational content channel; relevant given KidSpirit's 2016 RNA Magazine Overall Excellence recognition alongside NYT.
• Teen Vogue: A major commercial online publication targeting the same teen demographic with editorial content spanning culture, identity, and values. Comparable in audience and editorial register but vastly larger scale, commercial model, and broader topic scope than KidSpirit.
• Cricket Media: Publisher of long-running children's literary magazines (Cricket, Cobblestone, Calliope, etc.) featuring youth-age content and a similar magazine-format product, but operating at much larger scale and with a commercial (not nonprofit) model.
• Highlights: A long-established children's magazine brand with multi-format content for kids and families. Comparable in periodical-product category and award history (referenced alongside KidSpirit in the AEP Golden Lamp Awards), but operates as a large incumbent rather than youth-led.

Direct peers

• Stone Soup Magazine: A long-running literary magazine publishing writing and art by children ages 8-13, with a similar youth-submitted, editorially curated model and analogous nonprofit/education-adjacent positioning to KidSpirit.
• Skipping Stones Magazine: A nonprofit multicultural youth literary magazine featuring writing and art by young contributors worldwide. Comparable to KidSpirit on youth-led content production, global contributor base, and nonprofit values-based mission.
• Rookie: Founded by Tavi Gevinson, Rookie was a youth-led online magazine for teenage girls featuring personal essays, creative work, and values-driven editorial. Closest historical analog to KidSpirit's youth-led editorial concept (currently inactive but an archetype peer).
• Bravery Magazine: A children's print magazine featuring stories of inspiring role models, designed to spark meaningful family conversations. Overlaps with KidSpirit on values-based content for young readers, print anthology distribution, and mission-driven editorial.
• New Moon Girls: A print and online magazine for tween and teen girls featuring user-created content, creative expression, and values-based editorial. Highly comparable to KidSpirit's youth-led, mission-driven publishing model for a similar age cohort.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kidspiritonline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kidspirit
• Xx.com/kidspiritonline

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KidSpirit